Previews

Ground Control 2

This is Ground Control 2, Major Tom, and it could change the way you think about real-time strategy.

Spiffy:

Streamlined gameplay lets you get right to the action; slick 3D graphics.

Iffy:

Will it be enough to stand out in a crowded genre?

Ahhh... Another day, another RTS. Learn the tech tree, get your workers/ siphons/ whatevers gathering resources, build your base, construct 50 tanks/ trolls/ whatevers, rush your enemy's defenses, win the day. Sound familiar? Then you might want to pick up Ground Control 2 when it hits the shelves. With a deep sci-fi plot and challenging, unique gameplay, it just may change the way you think about the genre.

Ground Control 2 takes place in the 28th century, hundreds of years after the first Ground Control. Forget about the previous version's Crayven Corporation and Order of the New Dawn. There are three militaries at work in Ground Control 2: the dominant Terran Empire, the resistant Northern Star Alliance, and the wild card, the alien Virons. During the single-player campaign, you're put into the shoes of Captain Jacob Angelus of the NSA, who's thrust into command of a campaign to kick the Terrans off the planet. However, as the name of the game might imply, things don't go too well for the NSA and they start looking for some new digs to call home.

The detail on the models is amazing.

Much like the first Ground Control, there is no base building to be done in Ground Control 2, nor is there a tech tree. You're a commander of soldiers, not the head of a construction crew. Therefore, your mission is to extract your enemies from areas and control strategic locations on the map. Like many upcoming real-time strategy games, Ground Control 2 has a control point element to it. These are areas deemed to have a tactical importance, and control over the point allows you to accrue acquisition points. Those points can be used to do something you couldn't do in the first game: call in reinforcements. As long as you control a landing zone, you'll be able to call in extra troops to be flown in via dropship. If the LZ is hot, you can upgrade your dropship with extra armor and weaponry to even the odds.

The troops for the NSA are your typical fare: light infantry, snipers, heavy gunners, tanks, recon vehicles, combat engineers, heavy artillery, etc. Each unit has an FPS-style secondary mode that changes its characteristics. For example, the light infantry will shoulder their rifles for rocket launchers that can quickly take out armored targets. However, doing so comes at a price; the infantry will be immobile and vulnerable to enemy infantry. Later in the game, you'll be put in charge of Viron troops. There are only four basic types of Viron troops, but they can meld with each other in order to create several different types of soldier. In a way, they're the most adaptable army around, as they're able to create units on the fly according to the demands of the battlefield.

Unlike most RTSs, a numerical advantage doesn't mean squat in Ground Control 2. Control over terrain is much more important. Tactics are the order of the day. In order to complete your missions, you'll have to maximize the amount of firepower brought to bear on the enemy while minimizing the fire brought on your troops. Occupying the high ground gives troops an advantage, and inclement weather usually means you'll have to maneuver your soldiers closer to the enemy. Ordering your troops into buildings will enable them to take advantage of elevation and hard cover. If the enemy is killing you with artillery, order a smoke barrage on them to kill their line of sight, maneuver your tanks appropriately, and when the smoke clears, let 'em have it at close range. There is no fog of war, but line of sight is necessary in order to spot enemy troops, so you never really know what's beyond that hill until you position troops to act as your eyes.

APCs race to close the distance to the enemy.

The graphics for the first Ground Control were great, and that tradition continues with Ground Control 2. You can get close -- really close -- to each of the units you command. Whereas in Command & Conquer: Generals your troops were basically animated blocks of color, here your troops are highly detailed. It's a kick to position the free-floating camera to get a soldier's-eye view of the battle, or to see artillery rounds blaze a deadly, high parabola to their target.

If traditional RTSs make you feel more like Bob the Builder than Sun Tzu, you'll probably do well to pick up Ground Control 2. The single-player campaigns look to be deep and involved, and the multiplayer should be a kick. Ground Control 2 should keep cyber generals glued to their seats for some time to come when it's released later this June.